This week, a nearby resident posted on twitter a picture of shattered glass around a broken bus shelter near 14th and T Streets.
 
It took exactly four words in a tweet to notify WMATA and the District Department of Transportation, who came out hours later to repair the shelter and clean up the sidewalk.

It was great to see social media and our government agencies at work. If you see something in the neighborhood that could use fixing, call 311, submit a request online, or just give me a call!

By the way, the bus stop looked great this morning. Check it out:

Yesterday morning, I testified along with two other ANC Commissioners and six members of the public before the DC Council Committee on Transportation. Councilmember Mary Cheh held a hearing on the Bicycle Safety Amendment Act of 2013 as well as broader bicycle and pedestrian safety issues.

My testimony is available here and a video of the hearing can be viewed on the Council website. (I think I begin around minute 17). 

This was my first time testifying as an ANC Commissioner and it was truly an honor to represent the Dupont neighborhood on something so important as transportation safety. Our ANC supports the bill and continued traffic safety efforts, though I was very glad to have the opportunity to offer suggestions to Councilmember Cheh on the legislative language.

In particular, we had concerns about the term “safe accommodation” as it relates to the proposed requirement for construction projects blocking sidewalks and bicycle lanes. This is an important safety measure for pedestrians and bikers and Councilmember Cheh recognized at the hearing that the language was “a little nebulous”. I hope to work with her staff to develop a statutory definition of the term to better protect walkers and bikers.

I had a great time testifying today and I hope to represent our neighborhood more regularly before the Council as well as city boards and commissions.

Earlier this month the Dupont Circle ANC passed a resolution in support of the Bicycle Safety Amendment Act of 2013. I previously posted that resolution, which included suggestions for improvements to the legislative language.

This morning, around 11:30, I will be testifying before the DC Council Committee on Transportation in support of the bill on behalf of the neighborhood and providing those suggestions directly to Councilmember Cheh.

Much of my perspective on bike and pedestrian was shaped by the two listening sessions on public safety that our ANC hosted last year, as well as several years of experience biking through the District.

You can read my prepared testimony below: 

I have significant concerns about the enforcement of proposed rules to require a construction project to provide “safe accommodation” to pedestrian and bicyclists when it uses a sidewalk or bike lane. This morning I will use an example in our own neighborhood, at 14th and U, to illustrate how DDOT is not enforcing current rules and may have difficulty with the new law.

You can watch me testify, live, this morning here. The hearing begins at 11:30 and I think I will present around noon. It’s an honor to represent residents of Dupont and U Street before the Council and I hope this is first of many such opportunities. 

Last night, ANC’s from U Street, Logan Circle, and Dupont Circle came together to host a listening session for the community to discuss a proposed liquor moratorium in the 14th and U St corridors. Approximately 150 people were present and almost half of them provided comment to the three ANCs.

I was extremely proud of the neighborhood turnout and the thoughtful input that individuals provided, both for and against the proposal. Those in attendance were predominantly against the moratorium, by a count of about 6 to 1. The following stories have been posted so far in local media:

Borderstan

Dcist

Washington City Paper

Greater Greater Washington

Nick Baumann

Only one question was posed to the ANC Commissioners: how will the input received be used to guide next steps? What I heard last night will weigh heavily on my decision to either support or oppose the moratorium. This is especially true of the statements made by several residents and business owners of 2B09. It was great to hear a range of views and several points were expressed that I had not thought of.

Our ANC will be voting on the matter on May 8 and I’m going to hold several “office hours” sessions in the neighborhood to offer folks another chance to speak with me, in person, about the issue.

I was proud to be at the table last night and to have helped organize the event. This is a perfect example of how our ANCs and our community can work together on issues that impact us all.  Look for announcements of future meetings here and please contact me anytime to chat!  

Because of the great work of my colleagues on the Dupont ANC, especially Kishan Putta, WMATA is adding nine new bus trips going south on 16th Street from Harvard Street to H Street NW.

Over the past two months, the Dupont ANC has brought together a group of concerned residents and representatives from Metro and the District Department of Transportation to discuss options for improving bus service during the busy morning rush hour.

Service in the mornings is hard to predict and the several busses currently in operation are frequently full by the time they get to U Street. Residents south of U Street heading into downtown for work are often passed by jam packed busses and end up waiting 30 minutes or longer for a bus.

Metro and DDOT, to their credit, responded to complaints with a swiftness not often seen in government. They were flexible and accommodating and brought options to the community for feedback. The final agreement includes nine new trips that will operate on weekday mornings. From a Metro press release:

Kishan Putta deserves the real credit here for recognizing a problem and bringing the community together to find a reasonable and actionable solution. This is great example of how the ANC can work for the residents it represents.

Advisory Neighborhood Commissions from U Street, Logan and Dupont Holding Listening Session on Proposed 14th & U Liquor Moratorium

Wednesday March 20, 2013
7:00 - 9:00pm
Thurgood Marshall Center
1816 12th St NW
 
Members from the U Street (1B), Logan Circle (2F) and Dupont Circle (2B) ANCs will be holding a joint listening session to hear directly from the residents and the business community about a proposed Liquor Moratorium for 14th and U Streets. The meeting will be an opportunity for the neighborhood to speak directly to their elected officials who will be voting over the next few months on whether to support a moratorium in the area. Special invited guests include representatives from the Alcoholic Beverage Regulatory Agency, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the Shaw Dupont Citizens Alliance, who proposed the moratorium.
 
Though this is the only joint meeting being held on the proposal, ANCs may hold additional smaller meetings - decisions or actions will not be taken at this meeting. Organizers intend to give each participant 1-2 minutes to speak and request that members of the community direct their comments to the ANC Commissioners present.
 
Please share this announcement with your friends and neighbors and be sure to attend this listening session to have your voice heard as the community debates a moratorium at 14th and U.

Tonight at 7:00pm the Dupont Circle Advisory Neighborhood Commission will hold its regularly scheduled monthly meeting. The agenda is below: 

The meeting will be held at the Brookings Institute at 1775 Massachusetts Ave, NW. 

Of note on the agenda tonight are:

• Special election for the vacant 2B05 seat (7:15 - 9:30pm)
• Consideration of a resolution in support of the Bicycle Safety Amendment Act of 2013
• Consideration of a resolution requesting increasing bus service during morning rush hour for 16th St NW

Hope to see you there!